A New Leaf
by NarutoWriter2017
Summary: The Fourth Great Shinobi War is over. A year has passed by. Are the victors really victorious? What happens when there seems to be a continuation of the past problems? How will our beloved characters react to the new world? Rated M: Possible Lemons, Some Character Deaths.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: More info at the end of this chapter. But hello! Welcome back to this marvelous world. Sorry I haven't updated in forever (again more info on this at the end). Some warnings right off the gate: This is rated M. There will be dark moments, character deaths, fights, cursing (although not to the point where it is literally every word said), etc… Nothing too lemony, no outright bloody gore. With that being said, please enjoy the story of how I would write after Naruto Shippuden in this universe.

 _Italics_ are for thoughts of characters.

 _Underline + Italics_ are for the setting.

 **Bold** words are various forms of Techniques, or anything I feel important to highlight at the end of the chapter. You can find the translations of the techniques at the end of the chapter, right before the author notes.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Naruto, however, I do not. Kishimoto is a based dude. This work is fictitious and any resemblance to anything outside of these chapters or the Naruto Universe is purely coincidental.

* * *

 **A New Leaf**

 **Chapter I**

* * *

 _Training Ground #3, Konohagakure, 1 Year After the Fourth Great Shinobi War_

A crackle of thunder and the appearance of lightning erupted from a point in the grassy area of the training ground. Two silhouettes of men could be seen standing nearby, one taller than the other. The taller one, with spiky hair, held out his right hand, which was supported by his left, and called upon the forces of chakra to shape into lightning.

Naruto Uzumaki could barely contain the enormous smile as he watched his sensei, Kakashi, perform another round of his newly crafted Jutsu, **Shiden**. A mastercrafted jutsu to combat the inefficiencies of the **Raikiri**. The Shiden, now a purple variant of lightning, could be used as a ranged Jutsu, and did not have the drawbacks of tunnel vision that the Raikiri had.

As Kakashi motioned his hand to perform the new Jutsu, waves of purple lightning came over his right hand as he pushed it out towards a lone tree, an arch of lightning spliced a nearby tree in half.

"Well… I think it works, for now. I might be able to modify it for different combat scenarios for future use, like what Sasuke did with his **Chidori** ," Kakashi held for a moment, and sighed, "What do you think, Naruto?"

"Kakashi-sensei, that was great! You developed this Jutsu in only 3 months, soon you won't even need to use both hands!"

"Mah, let's not get ahead of ourselves. There is still a long time for perfection," Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets and raised his brows, "would you like to spar?"

A creeping smile came on Naruto's lips. It wasn't everyday that his sensei offered to spar with him, especially since Kakashi had lost his Sharingan. He looked the older shinobi in the eyes and gave a boldful nod.

"Let's set some ground rules, Naruto. First—"  
"I know, I know, no use of Kurama's chakra cloak, or sage mode. I have been practicing with more Jutsu too, you know! The rasengan may be powerful, but I need more weapons in my arsenal if I want to be Hokage!"

"You're starting to think like an actual shinobi, Naruto. What made you switch to that?"

Naruto paused. It's not like he _wanted_ to only use the rasengan, it was just that it was _super_ powerful and useful. _It even got more useful when I combined it with my wind affinity. But a Hokage needs to learn all types of Jutsu, like Ojīsan Sandaime,_ Naruto thought to himself.

"I need to be able to use a ton of techniques before becoming Hokage, right? That's why I am learning more and more jutsu, becoming Hokage and protecting my people!"

Looking over towards the heart of the training ground they were standing in, Naruto reminisced back to the days of Genin Team 7. The infamous bell test that his sensei had administered taught him how to make teamwork work, even if it still took years for him to finally realize it.

All of a sudden, Naruto was by himself, alone, in the midst of the training grounds. Kunai came speeding towards him from the trees to his left, while a giant shuriken came at him from the right. Naruto reacted quickly, forming three hand seals, Dog, Horse, and finally, Bird, he took in a deep breath and called out to his wind affinity.

" **Fūton: Toppa** "

A gust of wind came before him, surrounding the blonde teen, and threw the projectiles to the ground before they were able to hit Naruto.

"You're going to have to try harder than that, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled, as he formed his signature move with a cross seal. Two shadow clones now stood besides Naruto, and they quickly dispersed throughout the grounds.

Kakashi analyzed the move. His own shadow clones were behind the trees, however, he only had a couple active, and they wouldn't last as long as Naruto's, since he didn't use them as much as Naruto did. However, the lack of a Sharingan always active in his left eye meant that he had more chakra than what he was normally allocated.

At that moment, his clone to the left was found by Naruto's shadow clone. Kakashi's clone jumped back and with absurd speed formed the Snake hand seal, followed by Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and Tiger. Oil formed in the clone's mouth, as he released it as a bullet, which erupted into flames. The **Katon: Endan** , was something he learned from Jiraiya, but he didn't have the luxury of a toad summon— _summons! My ninken is something that Naruto would have to forcibly retreat from,_ Kakashi planned _._

However, in a bundle of smoke, Kakashi's left clone dispersed, and the thoughts went back to the original Kakashi. The last thing the clone saw, according to it's memories, were Naruto using his fingers to transmit a slashing blade of wind. _Ah, the_ _ **Kaze no Yaiba**_ _, one he must've learned while he was in Suna._

Realizing that it was only a matter of time before the real Kakashi was found, he bit his thumb and placed it on the ground, the **Kuchiyose no Jutsu** , formed a seal on the ground, which summoned the all too familiar scent of his ninken.

"What's up boss?" Pakkun questioned.

Kakashi held up his hand and formed a symbol that stood for silence, and formed another symbol for training.

The ninken all saw, and nodded their heads. They knew that Kakashi was taking this 'training' seriously, and that he must've been doing it with someone powerful, powerful enough to warrant their boss' attention.

Kakashi signaled to disperse and await further instructions, but requested Pakkun stay with him. He would need a fast traveler that could burrow underground to transmit orders.

The fire to his left was still burning, and he was sure Naruto had retracted his clone from that area. He focused his attention to his right clone, observing what was happening over there.

Kakashi's clone kicked Naruto up into the air, and appeared directly behind, causing Naruto's eyes to widen. The clone then grabbed Naruto's ankles, wrapped his legs around his waist, and plummeted to the ground. A technique which mimicked the Front Lotus.

Both 'bodies' disappeared, and a cloud of smoke emerged from both of them. _I won't win this with shadow clones_. _And Naruto did use a powerful wind Jutsu to slice my shadow clone…_

Kakashi quickly told Pakkun to go to where his other ninken were and strike out at Naruto's legs. _With that,_ he thought, _I can trap the real Naruto and potentially end this training session_.

Naruto stood in the middle of the training ground. He knew that Kakashi wasn't going to just jump out into the open to attack him, and he used that as his advantage. His shadow clones were able to go and cover places that Kakashi could have been hiding, and in fact, that's exactly what they did, all while Naruto had his eyes around the entire training ground.

Exactly in the amount of time it took for Naruto to identify where Kakashi had to be, in revelation that the weapons thrown at him in the beginning were provided by clones, four dogs..."not dogs— ninken,"Naruto said to himself, attached themselves to his feet and legs, making Naruto unable to move. Once more, Naruto's eyes widened as Kakashi came into the clearing, his right hand had purple lightning attached to it.

"Give up, Naruto," the only words that Kakashi uttered.

Naruto chuckled, and responded back to his teacher, "Kakashi-sensei, once again you outsmarted me. But I can't just give up!"

Kakashi sighed, and thought to himself, _Naruto can heal quickly, this won't kill him._

Kakashi lunged forth his hand, and his lightning sprung forward towards where Naruto was held. There was a crack, and something was burning, and smelled like… smelled like _burning wood?_

A log replaced the body of Naruto who was just immobilized, the lightning cracked against it, tore off a chunk, and left half of the log sizzled.

Kakashi sighed, _Outsmarted by Naruto,_ and then he started to chuckle at that fact.

Naruto appeared quickly behind him, with a kunai to his throat.

"Kakashi-sensei, give up," Naruto playfully mocked his teacher.

"Well, no need to continue, you clearly won this time."

Claps were heard in the distance, and both shinobi turned towards to sound. Sakura and Hinata were watching the session.

"Well Hinata, Naruto sure has grown stronger without the need for Sage mode or Kurama's chakra," Sakura said and playfully tapped Hinata's shoulder.

Hinata blushed, her face now pink.

"I am sure Naruto-kun has grown quite stronger," but that just made Hinata's face deepen color.

Sakura laughed, and waved over to her sensei and friend.

"Why don't you two come join us for some lunch?" Sakura asked.

Naruto's eyes, for a third time this morning, widened. He looked towards Kakashi, almost pleading him to tag along. His eyes piercing into the dark exterior of Kakashi's face.

"Fine, fine, I'll come too," and as soon as he said that, he almost regretted it as Naruto nearly stepped on his feet by bouncing around sporadically.

* * *

 _Ichiraku Ramen Shop, Konohagakure_

The jingle of bells sounded as Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, and Kakashi entered Ichiraku Ramen, a place held in high esteem ever since Naruto rose to fame. It is unrecognisable from it's previous appearances. The fame made it grow, and with it's and the village's growth, has transformed the little shop into a bustling restaurant.

An older man wearing a white chef's hat, with a grey apron was standing not too far off from the entrance behind the counter. His face had dark, defined wrinkles, and his hair that was visible was brown with a hint of grey seeping in.

Teuchi looked at where the bells were chiming at, his mouth lifted into a smile at the sight of yellow hair and an orange track jacket. The person who was always at his shop, Naruto Uzumaki, once again, was wandering inside.

"Naruto! Welcome back. How many today?" Teuchi asked.

The famous yellow haired ninja replied, "Ah, Ojīsan, there's myself, Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan, and Kakashi-sensei."

"Great, Ayame will get you seated shortly."

The four were seated at a booth in the back, reserved for the highest esteemed patrons, although they all thought it wasn't necessary, Ayame insisted. Naruto and Hinata sat in the left section of the booth while Kakashi and Sakura sat themselves in the right section. The booths themselves were quite comfortable, and Hinata commented that their luxurious table seemed like mahogany wood.

Ayame came back over to their table to get their order of drinks. Hinata and Sakura both ordered water, while Naruto requested for lemonade, and Kakashi coffee. They were all smiling, enjoying the quality time spent. It had been ages since the war, but the effects that lingered were visible. Civilians were more wary of shinobi, the villages were still rebuilding, and the missions were dwindling.

But as time passed on, the group didn't worry about those issues. They were in the moment, and were being hysterical with one another. Better to leave those problems with the political higher-ups.

Sakura chimed in after a round of laughter subsided from a joke Naruto made.

"So, Hinata and Naruto, are you guys… together?"

Hinata looked down, hiding her flushed red face, and stealthily glanced towards Naruto, whose face was scrunched up quizzically as if trying to answer a quantum mechanics question.

After a momentary silence, Naruto responded.

"Well…" Naruto began, "we are sitting next together, if that's what you mean."

Kakashi, Hinata, and Sakura's faces all deadpanned, if only for an instance, because Sakura's fist barely reached Naruto's face before Kakashi stopped her.

"Woah, Sakura-chan. I was just joking," Naruto laughed, and sheepishly rubbed his head, "This will be our third date."

Sakura sighed and brought her fist back, "Naruto, if you weren't such a fool I wouldn't have almost punched you!"

"Now Sakura, I am sure Naruto was just in the mood to make jokes, no need to get worked up on it," Kakashi added.

Hinata, feeling the courage to speak up, said, "Kakashi-sensei is right. Naruto-kun was just being… Naruto-kun."

And with that statement, everyone laughed, including Sakura.

"Say, Sakura-chan, when is Sasuke coming back from his 'atonement,'" Naruto made a disgruntled face at that word, "trip?"

"I haven't heard anything. Not even a single letter," Sakura looked to the side, "but I have hope that he will be back soon."

"I hope so too, Sakura-chan."

* * *

 _Village Entrance, Konohagakure_

Shikamaru Nara walked along a path in the forest outside of Konohagakure. _Springtime?_ Shikamaru thought, as he walked through a stone path. _Has it already been a year?_ A brisk wind grew, and Shikamaru noticed something fall to the ground. _A new leaf? Plucked out of a nearby tree? The wind… what a pain._ The genius shinobi let out a deep sigh, and continued walking towards the main gate of the village he called home. _Wind_ , Shikamaru chuckled, _and I thought I left her in Suna._

"Hey!" Izumo shouted, "it's Shikamaru," greeted the village gate guards, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, the inseparable shinobi.

"Oh? Kotetsu, Izumo, hey," Shikamaru replied back.

"How was your stay in Suna," Izumo asked.

"Oh... nothing bad in particular. The Kazekage is planning on enhancing the villages technology, making trade deals, the boring tidbits. It is troublesome, really. Almost all work, no time for relaxation."

Shikamaru stepped into his village after passing the enormous gates for the first time in little under a year. Being the ambassador to Sunagakure made him realize how much he missed the refreshing grass and air that Konoha offered.

He sighed. _Now that I am home on leave, it seems I might be bored. What a pain._

Shikamaru's boredom, however, was put on hold. His jaw slightly dropped, as he saw that Konoha had easily surpassed Suna in its attempt to enhance itself technologically. Off in the distance, he easily spotted the Hokage Rock, and behind it, tall skyscraper-like structures were on their way to being built, modeled after scaffoldings in their absence.

Shikamaru laughed, _It seems like the Godaime really stepped up while I was gone, or maybe it's because she had some inspiration. Speaking of Tsunade-sama, I should report to her that I have arrived back._

Shikamaru knocked on a large door, covered by artwork of fire. The Hokage's office had certainly improved since the last visit he had, which included the door frame destroyed by a punching blow Tsunade gave before he entered. _This time, however, it seems even Tsunade wouldn't destroy this symbol._

Through the large door and thick walls, he heard a frightening scream-like command.

"Come in," the piercing voice called out.

Shikamaru instantly recognised the voice as the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-sama. He entered the office, preparing mentally everything that was about to go down. _She will ask what took so long. What more did I learn about them. What was Suna's reaction. What do we do about him..._

"Welcome back, Shikamaru," the blonde Sannin gestured for Shikamaru to take a seat in front of her desk.

"Good afternoon, Godaime-sama," Shikamaru bowed, "here is my report on Sunagakure technological and economic advancements in the last year."

"Good, thank you," Tsunade replied, "Shikamaru, did you like your assignment to Suna?"

"Well," Shikamaru started, "it got to be a little boring after a few months. Without anything too problematic, the shinobi world doesn't have that many incentives anymore."

"A lot of people, especially in Konoha, would consider that a good thing, Shikamaru."

"I know, I think it's good too, but our lives are based around being shinobi. It will be difficult to live without any high class missions and money. Raising prices on our lower tier missions will only result in fewer being submitted," Shikamaru sighed, "at the current rate, it shouldn't be that bad, but in the future, we might be really dry."

Tsunade laid her hands on the table. She smiled at Shikamaru, which caught the Nara boy off guard.

"Your insight is phenomenal, Shikamaru, and because of that, I would like to extend the offer of being one of my personal advisors to the Hokage office, and the Jōnin Commander."

Shikamaru was visibly stunned. His mouth went gaped, but he quickly closed it before his superior could see it.

"Hokage-sama, as my father was the Chief Strategist of the Allied Shinobi Alliance, serving as the Hokage's advisor seems to be the best tribute to him. I fully accept these positions."

"Excellent, we are still rebuilding and reconstructing most things around here, and as my new advisor, I would like you to set up a meeting with the clan leaders and Jōnin. We have many things to discuss about the future of this village."

"Understood, Hokage-sama. Anything else?"

"One more thing. The Torture and Interrogation Unit has a captured… person, in their cells. I would like for you and your former partner, Ino Yamanaka, to interrogate this prisoner and extract every detail from them. More information can be found in this scroll," Tsunade picked up a scroll laying on her desk and extended her arm to hand it to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru scanned the white scroll in front of him, the contents darkened with black ink. After two minutes of reading through the report, he looked up to see the aging amber eyes of the Godaime Hokage. The Nara clan leader could see the afternoon backdrop surrounding the office.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru stated as he slumped back down in the seat that sat in front of the Hokage's desk.

"By these calculations and from the statistics reported from the Allied Headquarters, it seems like Kusagakure has assembled quite a force in the last year or so," Shikamaru narrowed his eyes as he continued, "and it looks like they have been recruiting missing-nin and criminals at the very least."

"What could this mean," Tsunade questioned with a hint of sadness at the memory of the previous wars she has been in.

"I can't make anything from it at this point," Shikamaru hesitated, "to amass such a force in a small amount of time would require the work of a genius, with incredible influence. Only a small set of people are still left in this world to fit that description."

Tsunade sighed, and took a deep breath a moment afterwards.

"Have you read the casualty reports made by the Alliance?" Tsunade asked.

"I took the liberty to read the report in Sunagakure. The markup remained similar in our version. The war took a lot of lives. High calculations were around 65,000 casualties last time I checked, 40,000 in one day too, thanks to Madara Uchiha's **Tengai Shinsei** , and the other reincarnatedshinobi. Roughly 40% of those figures were fatalities. Which leaves the Alliance with 39,000 either out of commision or still pretty injured. From my time there, I know that Sunagakure put those who were injured on leave, and they haven't been put back on duty. I theorize that the other nations have also done the same."  
Shikamaru took a breath and resumed, "Thanks to Naruto's efforts, Academy students and Genin were not fighting in the war, but they are still not fit to be in any conflict with another village. All in all," Shikamaru sighed, "it leaves us with approximately 2,000 Chūnin, 500 Tokubetsu Jōnin, 250 ANBU, and 250 Jōnin still available for duty. Approximately 50 Shinobi can retire by the year's end."

"Exactly. We can't afford to do this alone, even if most of Kusa's forces are just common criminals and thugs." Tsunade stood up from the chair behind the Hokage desk, her hands flat against the wooden surface.

"Send the ravens to the other Great Nations. I want to call a Kage Summit to address the situation."

"The new Headquarters is in the Land of Iron, we will need to put together a team to escort you," Shikamaru remarked with his brows raised.

"Understood, I will address this with the meeting of clan leaders and Jōnin."

"Before you leave, Shikamaru," Tsunade said as she took out a bottle of sake and a cigar from her desk drawer, "how about a light?"

* * *

 **-Shiden**

Purple Lightning

 **-Raikiri**

Lightning Blade

 **-Chidori**

One Thousand Birds

 **-Fūton: Toppa**

Wind Release: Breakthrough

 **-Katon: Endan**

Fire Release: Flame Bullet

 **-Kaze no Yaiba**

Blade of Wind

 **-Kuchiyose no Jutsu**

Summoning Jutsu

 **-Tengai Shinsei**

Shattered Heaven

* * *

A/N: WOW. I am back, with a rewrite to the first few chapters of a fanfic I started half a year ago. I always struggle with releasing something, and then telling myself it isn't perfect, so I scrap the idea, or I try really hard to fix it. The same thing happened with this story, but I feel much more confident now. The next couple of chapters will be rewrites of "A New Leaf" and will be venturing more into that world. One of my gripes with my original few chapters was that they were very short, and reading it could be a breeze and that made me feel like I had to redo them, so I stopped making new chapters and tried to focus on reforming the first few chapters.

My writing style, I feel like, is something akin to a fantasy-realistic (probably just made that up) type. I like to give characters a sensible approach (unless that character is someone like Naruto), to most things, while keeping the 'Naruto universe' feel to it. I kind of hate fanfics that overemphasize people being stupid, harsh, dumb, godlike, etc… Which brings me to a point that I find myself asking all the time: "Why don't I just make a fanfiction so I can put everything I like into one story?" Because, after searching through FFN for awhile now, there aren't that many top tier fics that I extremely like. There are some out there, but I find the majority of fanfics unrealistic, off putting (anything that bashes characters, creates hardcore killer freaks, doesn't have good spelling/grammar (in before I mistyped or failed at English on a sentence)), etc… Maybe I just have high standards, but that's just me :).

I would like to warn you all that I have some very 'nasty' (or great depending on who you are) ideas coming up for this fanfic, which is why it is rated M. (This does not mean lemons, gore, or any of that, HOWEVER, there will be a few character deaths that might shock you. Honestly, I think character deaths, done in meaningful ways (like Jiraiya) is very healthy for a series, contributes to character growth, and makes the viewer shocked and interested to find out what happens next, even if we like that character).

Some people may ask the following: "How will you deal with the power levels of Sasuke and Naruto?"

I think I have a very good solution to that, and you'll have to keep reading to find out :).

"Pairings?" Well, I previously stated that I dislike the Sasuke-Sakura pairing. I found it pretty abusive and unrealistic. So I don't think that will happen in this world. Sasuke has too much baggage, and has treated Sakura like dirt. However, this will all be played out in the future. (Although I did read a fanfic that is probably in my highest tier of favorite fanfics that had an absolute heart breaking chapter of having Sasuke go to Naruto and Sakura's wedding and had the reader able to read his thoughts and feelings. It made me feel really bad for him, even when figuring in all the terrible stuff he has done.)

As for Naruto, well, you already know that Hinata and him have been dating (at least three times!). After that, they are pretty much similar to the OG Naruto Universe. However, I will make Kakashi find someone!

I am still pretty new to publishing and responding on FFN, so if you have anything you would like to ask, please PM me!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Some of the dialogue in this chapter is slightly edited from the episode in the Anime, Naruto: Shippuden #264.

No idea if I am doing this right, but I will answer your review questions at the beginning of each chapter.

 **-To all who will dip because of the NaruHina pairing, I encourage you to stay on. Without giving too much away, it won't be the "normal" pairing that many often write about.**

 **-I am glad some of you are giving suggestions for Kakashi! Kurenai is a great choice, and I often think that she is overlooked. Keep giving suggestions for a potential Kakashi pairing!**

* * *

 _Italics_ are for thoughts of characters.

 _Underline + Italics_ are for the setting.

 **Bold** words are various forms of Techniques, or anything I feel important to highlight at the end of the chapter. You can find the translations of the techniques at the end of the chapter, right before the author notes.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Naruto, however, I do not. Kishimoto is a based dude. This work is fictitious and any resemblance to anything outside of these chapters or the Naruto Universe is purely coincidental.

* * *

 **A New Leaf**

 **Chapter II**

* * *

 _Somewhere Underground in Konohagakure, Simultaneously as Chapter 1_

Yamato looked across his desk. The underground ANBU stronghold didn't offer a stunning view like the Hokage office, but Yamato didn't mind. His new position demanded him to not mind. He had too much thinking, much more work, and to top it off, he worried the most.

The report Yamato had given the Hokage earlier in the week didn't ease him like most reports did. _Usually,_ he thought, _they were inventory checks, personnel lists, mission briefings. This time…_ Yamato paused, and shook his head, _whatever is happening in Kusagakure is something that we don't even know._ Not knowing is what scared the Commander of ANBU the most.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," was shouted as an instinct. Yamato had least expected the pale, raven haired shinobi who entered. Sai stood as his assistant in leading ANBU, but had taken care to do rehabilitation training with ex-ROOT shinobi. Sure, there were more experienced shinobi at his use, but Sai was loyal first and foremost to the Hokage and the Will of Fire.

"Tenzō-taichou, you wanted to know when _his_ message arrived."

Yamato looked grim. "Has it finally arrived? We have waited weeks for it. What does it say?"

* * *

 _Somewhere at the Border Between Amegakure and Kusagakure_

A hawk soared ahead out from the forests that were on the edge of Amegakure. A cloaked man, who had black hair, which dropped over his left eye, held his right arm out when he spotted the hawk flying overhead, holding a messenger pocket on its leg. The hawk swooped down onto his arm, allowing him to open the pocket and retrieve the message.

"Phoenix,

We managed to track the target to Kusagakure. He isn't wanted by the five major villages anymore, but Konoha would like for someone to reach out to them on his whereabouts and where he is hiding, probably to see if he is behind the recent turmoil in the country. Because of this, we think it is beneficial not to reveal where he is at at the moment. Releasing his information to the other countries could end badly. We have an informant who knows how to reach where he is hiding. He is located in the Suraidingu Inn on the outskirts of Kusagakure. With this in mind, we wonder why you chose to go alone. The rest of the team thinks you have grown soft."

Satisfied with the letters contents, he performed a series of hand seals which produced fire from his mouth, and burned the letter. He reached into his pocket to pull out a piece of bread. He tore it apart and fed the crumbs to the hawk so that it would wait nearby. Eating the rest of the item, he placed his arm into the pouch once more and pulled out a notepad, ink, and an ink pen and began to craft a response.

"Team,

Acknowledged."

Feeling content with the short response, he folded it and placed it inside of the hawk's messenger pouch, and flung his arm out, which caused the hawk to be sent off into the air and began walking towards the border.

He never liked Amegakure. The constant rain made him feel like all his past decisions were coming to drown him. He looked towards the sky, and noticed that even with Nagato gone, the rain continued to downpour. _A token of his legacy,_ he thought. The dark, gloomy clouds seemed like they were at a standstill.

Something caught his attention in the distance. A border guardpost, most likely newly constructed. He spotted five guards, stationed at the post. He made a quick study of their equipment, they wore beige flak jackets with no scroll pouches, and pinned to their flak jackets were shoulder guards. He noticed that each guard had a large pouch on the back of their uniform.

As the cloaked man walked to the border, two guards stepped in front of him.

One of the guards questioned, "What is your purpose for being here?"

The raven haired man eyed the guard, and nonchalantly responded, "I have an appointment with someone in the village, why do you care?"

The guard who had asked him the question scowled, as the second one laughed, "An appointment? Not in this country. What appointment could you possibly have?"

"That is not your concern," the man replied.

"Oh it isn't? You can't get past here without your name, reporting where you will be, and what you will be doing. Kusagakure is under new law now. We are not known to be so open to outsiders."

"Call me what you want, I have an appointment to get to. I will not tell you the person I am meeting with, or where I am having this meeting. If you do not want to get hurt, I suggest you get out of my way."

The cloaked man was getting impatient. The constant rain, still coming in from Amegakure, didn't make things better, either. He added, "you will let me enter freely, or I will find another way in."

The two guards who confronted the man drew kunai from their back pouches.

"We cannot allow you to enter with threats like that."

The man sighed, and pulled his Chokutō from the strap wrapped around him.

"So be it," he called out.

The two guards leaped back to where the other three were standing, and formed a chevron formation.

The man threw off his cloak, revealing a light grey vest overtop a dark grey long sleeved shirt. He had black gloves that matched the color of his pants.

Four of the guards stepped forward and did a combination of hand seals.

" **Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu** ," the four guards yelled out as four shark-like figures of water came thrusting upward and to the now uncloaked man.

Almost immediately after the four guards stepped forward, the fifth guard in the back of the formation slammed his palms to the ground and shouted, " **Doton: Dosekidake**." Four large spikes shot out of the ground around the man, which attacked in separate directions.

Seeing as he was trapped in the center of the two pronged attack, the raven haired shinobi's left eye spun and shimmered purple as time slowed and the man switched places with the cloak he threw earlier.

"How were you able to dodge our attacks?" The guards, trembling, asked in unison.

"Like I said at the beginning, all I require is entry into the village. I will not harm you," the shinobi stated as his right eye spun red with three tomoe.

"You? You are Sasuke of the Sharingan, last member of the Uchiha!" The guards exclaimed before they fell to the ground, caught in a Sharingan genjutsu.

Sasuke picked up his cloak, and wrapped it around to wear it once more, and walked into the village.

Sasuke entered the rural country of Kusagkure. Unlike it's neighbor, it was not industrialized, however, it's population had skyrocketed. The constant rain had ended the moment he stepped into the village proper. He could relate to this village. A village that was overcome with grief, found a way to repopulate and survive. The pain of loss, torture, and abandonment was felt by almost every person who had lived here.

While walking into the first area of the village, Sasuke heard an unfamiliar sound. He closed his eyes to try to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, but could not detect it, until he heard it again, coming right below him, from his stomach. He was getting hungry.

Sasuke calmly went over to a restaurant which had a special going on for sushi from the look of the sign. As he entered the restaurant, some of the staff looked up to see someone enter the room, giving him a dirty and unwelcoming look.

"Outsiders are not welcome in here."

"I have the money to pay. I just want a decent meal."

However, the staff ignored his call, and went on like he wasn't there.

Sasuke scoffed at the staff, but ultimately chose to leave the restaurant. _I am already in the village, there is no need to draw any attention._

As he was leaving, he was able to pick up some cheers from the patrons of the restaurant who were applauding the way the staff handled him, the outsider. And in a moment, what he had thought about the village vanished, and only resentment came. _What despicable people. They know nothing of what an outsider truly is_ , Sasuke thought.

He looked down to his arm to check the time. _I will be late to my meeting if I do not find the rendezvous point._

Sasuke scanned his surroundings. Most of the inns had closed signs, and even then, some were not on the outskirts of the village. Sasuke sighed. This would be a time consuming hunt for the right inn. All he could hope was that he found it in time.

* * *

 _Suraidingu Inn, Kusagakure_

Sasuke Uchiha stood in front of a small counter. There were only a small number of inns still available in Kusagakure, the man hypothesized, since the explosion of population in the country. The Fourth Great Shinobi War making more refugees didn't help either.

A door opened behind the counter, and a short old man appeared from the doorway.

"How can I help you?"  
"I'm here to rent a room for tonight."  
"Any preferences?"  
The last of the Uchiha's eyes narrowed for a moment.

"The one with the Snake in it."

"I see…" the old man trailed off, "come this way."

Sasuke followed the elder as he led him to the backroom, down into the basement, and through several tunnels, underneath Kusagakure.

"Here is the requested room," the old man spoke as he quickly left the area.

The room was dark, this was visible from the outside. Extremely dark. Sasuke took a step into the room, only to notice that when he did, several mounted snake-like torches on the walls lit up. The room contained several shelves filled with scrolls.

When Sasuke saw the scrolls in the room, he took another step forward, and the ground began to shake fervently. He looked to his left, with an eye raised and saw that a ramp was now in the ground, leading deeper into the core of the earth.

"What do we have here? A hawk who has returned to the nest? Or could it be that he just wants to use me for his own gain and then discard me once more?" questioned a slithering purple snake that crawled up the ramp to enter the newly lit room.

"I need to talk to Orochimaru." the last Uchiha retorted.

"You are late." the snake hissed, "I was told you were a stickler for detail, but if you somehow showed up late, then how will I know you can return the favor?"

Sasuke kneeled down to the snake and activated his sharingan. His right eye spun red and three tomoe appeared.

"You can trust that I will return the favor, snake."

"Very well," the purple snake hissed again, but he had accepted the answer. "I shall reverse summon him right away, **Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu**."  
A tall, pale skinned man with a tan shirt, and a purple belt appeared in a ball of smoke in front of the snake.

"Hmm? Who could be calling for me?" Orochimaru rhetorically asked, as he turned around to face Sasuke.

"I never would have thought that my student would be returning to me."  
"I need your help with a task, that is all," Sasuke bluntly replied.  
"Why rush to things? We haven't seen each other in almost a year."

"I have no time, there are greater threats than what we faced."  
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and went into a thinking pose. It wasn't everyday that his former student came back to him for answers. Orochimaru was caught in a thought until Sasuke coughed. The snake Sannin grinned at the thought of him needing something, as it would require him to return the favor.

"What do you need?"

The Uchiha paused before answering, carefully thinking out his words.

"I require a couple of things. The first of which is to learn the **Edo Tensei** ," Sasuke said.

Orochimaru began to chuckle.

"I'm not in the mood, snake. Do you have the ability to teach me the secrets of the technique?"

"Don't get angry if I start to see a little bit of myself when I see you mature, Sasuke-kun. We can begin whenever you feel necessary."

"Let's get started then."

"Very well, follow me,"

Before Orochimaru left the room, he grabbed a jar of blood from one of the shelves in the back, and quietly exited.

They made their way over to where Orochimaru's subordinates were located, in which several students of his volunteered for the ritual.

"This is a type of summoning technique. You summon the soul of the dead person from the afterlife to this plane of existence. Achieving this is quite simple. You need something to identify the person you want to revive. Blood, hair, skin, anything that is unique to that individual." Orochimaru paused, "The rest, you just need to watch,"

Orochimaru grabbed an empty scroll from his pouch and opened it, revealing it's white contents with a summoning seal inside it. Orochimaru opened the jar of blood he took from the laboratory and smeared some of it onto the scroll. Orochimaru picked one of his students, and asked Sasuke to put him under a genjutsu.

After his student was placed in a different world, Orochimaru placed the scroll down onto the floor. Immediately following, the blood placed onto the scroll moved out and formed a seal around the student's body. Orochimaru then performed the snake hand seal which released the genjutsu on the student while simultaneously wrapping the student in paper and ash.

A moment passed, and the papers disappeared, leaving behind a fragile body of a Otogakure shinobi that Sasuke recognized from the Konoha Crush incident years ago.

"This is the power of Edo Tensei, and it is a dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous, technique in the world," Orochimaru stated as he summoned a coffin to place the newly reincarnated shinobi inside of.

Sasuke made his final request, "Do you still have some of Madara Uchiha's blood?"

* * *

 **A/N:**

I just rewatched a bit of the war arc when Orochimaru revives the Hokage, I know Sasuke was present there, but he could always want to know how it works/get a review :). Anyways, interesting things happening here! Like the previous version of this story, I have decided to split up this story as two "separate" perspectives. One of these is from Naruto's/the Leaf's perspective, the other is from Sasuke's perspective. They will merge into one perspective at one point, so stay tuned for more chapters.

Not every chapter will have a fight in it. More worldbuilding and development coming up!

I don't like how short this chapter was, so because of that, prepare for Chapter 3 soon! Since this is a rewrite and I didn't get too far in the original, we will be delving into more original content. I hope everyone likes what is going to come!

Again, if you have any questions, leave them in the reviews or PM me.

* * *

 **\- Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu**

Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu

 **\- Doton: Dosekidake**

Earth Release: Earthen Stone Shots

 **\- Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu**

Reverse Summoning Technique

 **\- Edo Tensei**

Impure World Reincarnation


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Chapter 3 is here. Sorry for the long delay. As it turns out, I take a long time to do a dialogue heavy chapter. But, character advancement continues!

 **Again, I urge everyone to not skip this fanfic out because of the main pairing. Even if it doesn't line up with your beliefs, give it a chance!**

Side note: I stated that it won't be a "normal" pairing, but this chapter gives the intention that it is, it is all for development, I promise it won't be the same as all the other NaruHina pairings. If you can't bear to read a fanfic with certain pairings, PM me and I'll talk to you about the intended plans for the fanfic, and we can have a nice chat :).

* * *

 **Trigger Warning: Use of alcohol, and alcohol influenced thinking/decisions, sexual implications, however it is NOT forced. If that still makes you feel uncomfortable, please feel free to skip the scenes/chapter.**

* * *

 _Italics_ are for thoughts of characters.

 _Underline + Italics_ are for the setting.

 **Bold** words are various forms of Techniques, or anything I feel important to highlight at the end of the chapter. You can find the translations of the techniques at the end of the chapter, right before the author notes.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Boruto's Dad, however, I do not. Kishimoto is a based dude. This work is fictitious and any resemblance to anything outside of these chapters or the Boruto's Dad Universe is purely coincidental.

* * *

 **A New Leaf**

 **Chapter III**

* * *

 _A Major Street, Konohagakure, Hours After Chapter I_

The sky was filled with shining sparkles of dim yellow. It was evening time in Konohagakure, and that meant the streets were filled with vendors lined with both civilians and shinobi, trying to get dinner and meet with friends.

One of these shinobi was Chōji Akimichi, who had previously visited six different stands. The one he was currently in line for, had claimed it had the world's best pork barbeque.

As he was standing in line, moving an inch every half hour, it seemed, he spotted a peculiar looking silhouette in the distance. The figure had a spiky ponytail and the shoulders were shrugged back, giving a familiar feeling of boredom.

Chōji's eyes brightened, as he finally paid for his barbeque and went towards the area where the silhouette was.

At that point, the eyes of the Akimichi heir were almost bursting out of their sockets. His best friend, Shikamaru Nara, was back from assignment.

"Shikamaru!" Chōji called out.

The figure turned, slowly, and upon recognition of who was calling his name, made a nonchalant wave.

Not wanting to waste the precious food Chōji bought, he scarfed the pork down and ran to Shikamaru. Giving a big embrace, Chōji hugged his friend and released him.

"Shikamaru, when did you get back?"

"A few hours ago," Shikamaru replied, "I had to get debriefed and had a meeting with the Hokage."

"Oh, wow, so how was it like in Suna? How was the food? I heard their cuisine is totally different than ours here. Oh, and did you meet any girls there?" A grin appeared on Chōji's face at the last question.

Shikamaru waved him off on those questions, if only slightly turning pink.

"Say, Chōji, is anyone on a mission outside the village today?"

"Not that I recall..." A lightbulb went off in Chōji's head, "unless you count Sasuke. No one has seen him since a little after the war."

"Sasuke is gone, huh?" And with a look of uncertainty, "does anyone think he went rogue again?"

Chōji shared the same look, "there have been rumors, but nobody wants to admit anything. Sasuke turning has a lot more implications than what it did five years ago."

"When did you get so keen, Chōji? You are absolutely right about the implications. Naruto is the only one who can stop Sasuke." Shikamaru took a pause. "Speaking of Naruto, has he addressed anything about Sasuke and why he isn't here?"

"He only seems to think that Sasuke hasn't returned because of his atonement." The Akimichi scoffed, "whatever that means."

"Well," Shikamaru took a quick pause between words, "enough of this talk. If nobody else is on leave, then we should get together tonight, even if it might be troublesome."

A grin, as large as he could give, appeared over Chōji's face.

"You really mean it? Let me tell everyone!"

Chōji leaped into the air and began to go across the village.

Shikamaru now by himself laughed and muttered under his breath, "He didn't even tell me where we are meeting at."

* * *

 _Torture and Interrogation Building Entrance, Konohagakure, Hours After Chapter I_

"What do you mean I don't have 'security clearance,'" Naruto yelled.

He was at the entrance to Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Division building. A dark, dim lighted structure that casted a shadow over the field in front of it.

Naruto had come to see Shikamaru who he heard was back in the village. Unfortunately for Naruto, Shikamaru was already in the building, and for some reason the guards wouldn't allow Naruto back in there.

"I am a Konoha Shinobi, and I damn well have clearance to be back here!"

"You always had a loud mouth."

Shikamaru appeared from one of the doorways, and a smile crept on Shikamaru's face as he saw his blonde friend. The smile however, turned into shock as Naruto dashed forward and squeezed Shikamaru until he almost passed out.

"Shikamaru! I missed you! Did you just get back? How was Sunagakure? Is Gaara okay? He is still the Kazekage right? OH, and how was Temari?" A devilish grin appeared on Naruto at the last question.

"Enough with the troublesome questions, Naruto. Everything was fine. Yes, Gaara is still the Kazekage. But I was being serious though, stop yelling."

Shikamaru turned towards the guard.

"Don't you realize who this is? I am giving him access to come back here."

The guard audibly swallowed and nodded his head.

"Naruto, I only just got here a little while ago. I got read in, and I think I should warn you, I am in the middle of interrogating a prisoner that was caught on the outskirts of the Fire Country." Shikamaru explained to Naruto as they ventured further into the building.

They came upon a long hallway with one room at the end of it.

"Naruto, the prisoner we captured... She is different than what we are usually used to. Please keep in mind that we knew nothing of her until she confessed—" Shikamaru was cut off mid sentence.

"What does that mean?" Naruto narrowed his eyes to Shikamaru.

"You'll see for yourself," at this time, they prepared to enter the back room. Naruto and Shikamaru stood at the doorway, facing a darkened room, lit only with a candle on a table at the center. Ino and Tenten were seated across from a burgundy haired kunoichi chained to the wall.

"What the hell?" Naruto uttered before Shikamaru could keep him silent. All three kunoichi looked at Naruto, startled. Tenten wore a scolding face, while Ino had a hint of sadness on hers.

"Shikamaru, why is Naruto here?" Ino asked with a glance of unease.

"He wanted to see me, and I figured knowing who she is, he would want to come and see."

"Who she is? What's going on in here?" Naruto struggled to find words as he stared at the pale kunoichi in front of him.

Ino quickly formed the Tiger hand seal and quietly chanted, " **Nehan Shōja no Jutsu**."

White feathers began to form around the bound woman and she slumped back against the wall, seemingly asleep.

Tenten sighed while Ino stood up and looked over to Naruto.

"We are conducting an interrogation, Naruto. This is standard Konoha procedure. We have a trained interrogator," Ino motioned to Tenten, "and a Yamanaka," Ino pointed to herself.

"Okay, sure, but why?"

"She was found outside of the Fire Country trying to sneak in. She confessed to be spying on Konoha. We don't know who she works for, though," Tenten replied, still seated.

Shikamaru stepped up and turned towards Ino, "Were you able to go inside her mind and figure that out?"

Ino shook her head, "She has a large blocking seal. I can't access inside without killing her, and even if I tried, there would be no assurances that it would work."

Shikamaru scoffed and whispered, "Typical."  
Naruto gave a sly grin, "Let me have a try and talk with her, it'll work, believe me!"

Tenten deadpanned as Ino slightly grinned.

"Release the genjutsu, Ino."

" **Kai**!"

The kunoichi that was asleep suddenly woke up, startled once more. The almost bulging brown eyes pierced Naruto's, before she squinted back down at the candle in front of her.

Ino, Tenten, and Shikamaru drifted near the back of the room to observe how Naruto would handle the prisoner. On the ready, however, if something were to happen.

Naruto kneeled down 4 feet in front of the bound woman. He digged into his back pouch and quickly threw two kunai towards the wall, as they hit, the ties holding the kunoichi to the wall released, and she was let free.

She wrapped her hands around herself, and rubbed them together. They were red, and appeared to have burn marks on them.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked.

There was no response from the woman. He paused, and went blank, and entered into a deep state of consciousness, entering the lair of Kurama. Naruto opened his eyes, and Kurama's cloak draped over Naruto's figure. He went into this mode to detect if there was anything unusual about the woman, like if she had any type of inhibitor that prevented her from speaking.

Unsurprisingly, nothing was found other than the seal in her mind, Naruto noted, as he deactivated the cloak.

Mesmerised at the sight the kunoichi just saw, she mumbled something under her breath before tightly closing her mouth.

"What was that?" Naruto demanded.

A minute passed, and they sat there in silence.

"I… I only meant to ask if that was a Tailed Beast transformation. My clan once was a proud owner of a Tailed Beast."

"Really?!" Naruto said in astonishment, "Yeah, this right here is courtesy to Kurama, the Kyūbi."

The captured spy, whose eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets, was now completely captured by Naruto. She had heard of the Kyūbi before, and to hear it's name spoken freely…

"Where are you from? What clan are you from?"

The kunoichi sat there pondering, and corrected Naruto, "Were."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, confused.

"Were? Are you a missing-nin?"

The kunoichi just sat there silently, refusing to say anything more.

Shikamaru finally joined in, "Troublesome. Well, we probably won't get more information out of her today." Shikamaru eyed Ino and Tenten, "It's probably best to send her back to her cell."

The four Konoha shinobi exited the room and Tenten informed Ibiki of what had transpired. They left the building through the guardpost that Naruto had originally came in by.

"I just don't understand," Naruto went off, "why wouldn't she tell us where she was from? 'Were?' We don't even know her name. Why is she spying on Konoha? We are at peace now."

Naruto finally stopped ranting, all the while Shikamaru, Tenten, and Ino were behind him.

The brunette weapon master quickly raised her voice so he could hear her, "Naruto, sometimes the enemy won't just shout out who they are. Especially if we are at peace. Intrigue and spies are all around us, we just aren't fully aware of it."

"Naruto," Shikamaru spoke, "Tenten has a point. This isn't like the other battles you have fought before. It's not direct. It takes precision, patience, and time."

Naruto brushed them off, "I know! I'm just so frustrated. What is peace if we have to worry about all of this?"

Ino glanced at Shikamaru and spoke up, "Not every human is going to have a change of heart. The least we can do is make sure our fathers' legacy stays strong. We can't let their sacrifices be in vain."

"But you know what will cheer us all up?" Ino rhetorically asked, "A reunion party! The Konoha 11 is all back in town today."

Tenten sighed, "Not all of us are here."

Naruto joined Tenten's sigh. He never wished for Neji to die, and regretted that any of it ever happened. Sasuke was also gone, and he didn't even know where he was. _So much for being a best friend_ , Naruto thought.

"I think that is a good plan, Ino. I'll make sure to invite everyone." Shikamaru said before he felt obligated to stare at the ground with two of his friends.

* * *

 _Icha Icha Tavern, Konohagakure, Later that Night_

Naruto was late. He knew he would get some flak from most of his friends, but he had to know what Sasuke was up to. Of course, however, he couldn't even get that information. Not even Yamato-taichou would give him any information. What was Sasuke doing?

The tavern was just up the street from where Naruto was nonchalantly walking towards. Named from the infamous books Jiraiya penned.

Naruto noticed a familiar pink kunoichi at the entrance, appearing to hesitate from entering the bar.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, making sure not to startle her, or else he would feel the bruise from one of Sakura's punches instantly.

"Naruto! Where have you been? I almost left because nobody from my team is here!"

Naruto sweatdropped. He knew that Sakura felt bad about Sasuke not being here. About Naruto not knowing where he was. Naruto took three years to save Sasuke, and now he is almost in the same situation…

"Alright! Let's go in and have fun, Naruto!"

The two teammates entered the Icha Icha tavern. There, they met Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka, Tenten, Rock Lee, and Shino Aburame, forming a complete, yet, incomplete Konoha 11.

As Sakura and Naruto walked over to their table, Sakura's lips curved into a nasty smile.

"So, Ino, you and Shikamaru are getting pretty comfortable, huh?"

The blonde kunoichi became beet red as embarrassment flushed her face. She angrily looked over at her friend.

"We are teammates! Sitting by each other is perfectly fine!"

Naruto looked over to his friends with a confused expression. _Why did Ino get so defensive over sitting by Shikamaru?_

Sakura looked behind her towards Naruto, who was following her towards the table.

Naruto walked over to Hinata with a big smile. His cerulean eyes wide with excitement that he could enjoy the night with his girlfriend and other friends.

Kiba turned to Shikamaru, "I heard you were in Sunagakure for a year."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows and responded, "That's true. I was the ambassador for Konoha while I was there. I learned a lot about their culture and technology."

Kiba laughed and retorted, "The only culture you got was probably the Kazekage's sister."

"Yeah, right. Shikamaru would never fall for someone like that" Ino responded with a scoff.

"I bet you have amazing stories of youth to tell us about your youthful travels!" Lee stated enthusiastically.

 _Lee, don't make a scene right now_ , Tenten sweatdropped.

"Well, if anything happened in Suna, it is classified," Shikamaru chuckled.

Naruto's face became disdainful. "Well, while you were out in Suna, I was stuck here studying. Tsunade-baa-chan apparently did a uh…" Naruto paused and looked at Sakura who mouthed the words he was looking for, "...field promotion on myself and Sasuke! I am now a Tokubetsu Jōnin, and I actually have to pay really close attention in training school to become a full fledged Jōnin," Naruto exclaimed with a pout.

Shikamaru chuckled as the man in front of him became filled with sorrow at the fact that he was not a Jōnin. Shikamaru figured he was lucky that he was promoted after he took the Jōnin exam, but was surprised when Tsunade had given him the ambassador assignment. He found it troublesome to be away from all his friends and family, especially as he was supposed to be the new Nara clan leader, but it was his duty to the village. He would not let his father's sacrifice go for nothing, as he was sure to live up to his recognition.

Sakura walked away before she sat down. Afterwards, she came back to the table with some sake and enough cups for everyone as she sat down across from Naruto and Hinata and began to pour the liquid contents into the cups.

Not wanting to see Rock Lee in his drunken stupor, Tenten decided that they would exchange pleasantries with the newly arrived shinobi and leave the tavern before things got to out of hand.

Hinata waited until Tenten and Lee were gone, and quietly spoke up, "She took Neji's death extremely hard. I don't know how she continues to be there for Lee. I know that I was pretty shook up after the War."

"We all were," Sakura replied with a sad smile.

"Not as hard as she did, though. She grew to have a close bond with Neji being her partner, thankfully she still has Lee to fill the void."

Naruto took a quick swish of the drink before looking up at Hinata.

"If Lee and Tenten are happy, then that is all that matters at this moment."

The room was silent save for Choji's chewing of the pork barbeque in front of him. Many did not want to think back to the slaughter of countless lives in the past couple of years.

Before anyone knew, it had gotten dark and was a couple hours after midnight. Dozens of bottles were spread out across the table, and many of them were slouched over.

"Well, I guess I will be heading out then," Sakura stated, nodding to Naruto, who nodded back.

"Kiba, and I will leave too, thanks for bringing us together tonight, Shikamaru," the bug user exclaimed.

Ino slumped back into her seat and collapsed onto Shikamaru's shoulder from the drunken stupor she was in. Six hours of drinking, laughing, and crying with her friends did little to relieve her of what was going on in her head. Shikamaru yawned and looked over at the bartender who pointed to the clock suggesting that it was almost closing time. Hearing Ino starting to snore, Shikamaru picked her up and began to leave the Icha Icha Tavern.

He told Naruto and Hinata that he would take Ino home, and left with her.

The blonde teen gently nodded his head at Shikamaru before he left. He held Hinata's hand, and got up from the bench.

"Hinata-chan, let's get you home. Your guards are probably worried sick."

"T-thanks, Naruto-kun."

As the two adult teens walked back to the Hyuuga compound, Naruto began to reminisce about the last year. He had first asked Hinata to eat ramen with him about two months after the War had ended. He wasn't stupid. He knew that she had confessed her love for him multiple times. It wouldn't take the end of the world for him to realize this.

They neared the Hyuuga household, and Naruto brought Hinata close to him in an instant. The motion caused a little wave of wind to bristle nearby. Naruto stared into Hinata's purple eyes for a moment, and his mouth began to move.

"Hinata, I will protect you from every danger. I won't let Neji's sacrifice be in vain."

Hinata only stared back in amazement, as Naruto's lips met hers.

He held her like this for about a minute, and finally released her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hinata-chan!"

"S-see you tomorrow, Naruto-kun."

* * *

 _Yamanaka Flower Shop, Konohagakure, Later that Night_

The side window of the branded Yamanaka Flowers opened and closed quickly. Two figure stood in the bedroom, both ridiculously under the influence. After closing it, Shikamaru placed Ino down onto the queen sized bed. She squirmed a little before finally calming.

Shikamaru was about to close the door leading down into the foyer of the shop until he heard Ino crying.

He stepped back into the bedroom where he laid her down. The blonde locks of Ino were perfectly laid out across the bed, but her face was covered in watery tears.

"Shika, is Temari really better than me?"

Shikamaru took a step back, ill prepared for such heavy questions this late at night and while being drunk.

"Better than you? Why would you ask such a question?"

"Why? I am trying to figure out where I am supposed to be in this crazy world. Who I am supposed to love, who I am supposed to be around. My whole life got turned upside down by this fucking War! My dad is dead, and I have nobody around who I can turn to. You were gone, fucking around in Suna, while I was here, clinging to the ashes of the past. You can't do this to me again. So I am asking you, is Temari better than I am?"

Large tears were now streaming down Ino's face. She was still laying in her bed, this time flipped onto her stomach. Her head buried into her sheets.

"How could I think anyone is better than you? Do you not remember when Asuma-sensei died? You were there for me, no one else was. I could've fallen into a dark pit, but you were there to pick me up. You may have lost a father, but I did too. You aren't going through this alone, Ino. I will always be there for you, even if I am thousands of kilometers away. We were raised and trained together, and I will be damned sure to not let some Suna girl come between us."

Ino was still sobbing, and so Shikamaru did what he thought he could only do, and cuddled Ino. The pair stayed like this into the later hours of the night, until, still drunkenly, Ino regained her composure and passionately took Shikamaru by his shoulders and slammed him into the bed with her.

* * *

 **-Nehan Shōja no Jutsu**

Feather Illusion Jutsu

 **-Kai**

Release

* * *

 **A/N:** Again, sorry for the long delay. I am really slow at heavy dialogue like this, sometimes my mind wanders around an idea in a later chapter, and it takes hold rather than work on the current one! Chapter 4, we pick up with Sasuke again! Exciting times.


End file.
